Mum Reviews...

Tesco to Sell Own Brand £99 Tablet - I Want One!

Woohoo, big news today that Tesco is rumoured to be about to release its own brand 7 inch tablet in the very near future.

Like many parents, with Christmas just around the corner, my family are currently in the market for a cheap tablet ourselves. Although we already have a couple of iPads, we also have four children, aged 13, 10, 8 and almost 2, who are constantly sneaking off with my husband's iPad. I keep mine all to myself so they know better than to ask for it but hubby is really fed up with getting in from work to find he has 3% power left! That's why this year we decided it might be time to buy one or maybe two cheaper tablets for the kids to share. We're not wanting to go too expensive but do want something reliable and so far have considered the Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7, the latter of which we've seen on special offer and which gets great reviews.

I'll be keen to find out what Tesco's tablet looks and feels like (although if it does have a 7 inch screen that will be perfect for smaller hands!) and to see how it operates compared to the iPad which I know is in a league of its own but all the same, it'll be interesting.

The children aren't looking for anything too high spec - as long as they can play Sims and similar games and do a little research for homework purposes they'll be more than happy, but for us as parents the more reputable tablets on the table the better for all of us. Particularly for my poor fed up husband!

FIFTH OF SMOKERS LIGHT UP IN THE CAR OR HOME WITH KIDS AROUND

More than a fifth of smokers admit to lighting up in front of their children in the home or car, is the finding from a new Department of Health survey. And almost 15 per cent believed that their children’s antics in the back of car makes them reach for a cigarette.

The findings come following a raft of tough measures unveiled by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley this spring designed to cut the biggest cause of premature death in England. This includes a new hard-hitting national campaign on secondhand smoke.

The adverts show how children are exposed to smoke in the home even when their parent moves away from them - for example by smoking by an open door or smoking in the car with the window open.

The new findings also suggest that parents think they are protecting their children from the harmful poisons of secondhand smoke by opening a door or car window - without realising that is not enough. Figures show one in four open the car window when children are in the car; and one in five said that they smoke out of a window or door when children are at home.

But up to five million children across the UK are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in the home. People don’t realise that they could be breathing in deadly smoke because more than 80 per cent of cigarette smoke is invisible. Opening a car window or smoking out of the house door just isn’t enough to protect children.

Even the school run isn’t a smokefree zone as almost one in ten smokers admit to smoking in the car which exposes children to the harmful cancer causing toxins and poisons of secondhand smoke whilst making the daily journey to school.

Three hundred thousand children visit the GP each year, in the UK, due to secondhand smoke with 9,500 visiting hospital. This costs the NHS a staggering £23.3 million every year.

Children cannot protect themselves from secondhand smoke and are particularly vulnerable to it due their higher breathing rate, less well-developed airways, lungs and immune system.

Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more at risk of respiratory illnesses, asthma, meningitis and even cot death.

They are also 90 per cent more likely to become smokers themselves. In the UK, 23,000 young people each year start smoking by the age of 15 as a result of exposure to smoking in the home

Public Health Minister Anne Milton said:

“It is important that we help parents protect their children from possible harms to their health. We want parents to know that by making their cars and homes smokefree they can protect their children's health.

“Figures show that 9500 children have to go to hospital each year because of the second hand smoke and toxins they breath in. It's hard to quit but worth doing for your children. Get more information by getting a free Smokefree Kit at nhs.uk/smokefree, or for help quitting get in touch with your local stop smoking service, GP or pharmacist.”

Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation Dame Helena Shovelton said:

“The harm caused by second-hand smoke to children is irreparable. Once the damage has been done, their lungs will never fully recover.

Breastfeeding Facts

Thanks to PregnancyGroup.org for this fascinating breastfeeding infographic.

Fear of Childbirth Increases Likelihood of C-Section (Press Release)

A new study published in the international journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica (AOGS) reveals that fear of childbirth is a predisposing factor for emergency and elective cesarean sections, even after psychological counseling. This may mean a negative experience that lasts a lifetime among the approximately 3% of women who in this study were estimated to suffer from excessive fear of childbirth.

Led by Professor Gunilla Sydsjo of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University Hospital in Linköping, Central Sweden, researchers analyzed the antenatal and delivery records of 353 women who were referred to a unit for psychosocial obstetrics and gynecology because of fear of childbirth, and 579 women without fear of childbirth.

KIT OUT THE KIDS FOR LESS AT YOUR LOCAL NCT NEARLY NEW SALE

The rising cost of living and tough economic climate mean many families are having to tighten their belts. NCT Nearly New Sales are a haven for cash-strapped parents, offering a brilliant alternative to trawling the high street for pricey baby products

Becoming a parent is exciting, but it can be an expensive time too. At NCT Nearly New Sales, expectant and new parents can buy top quality baby and children’s toys, clothes and equipment straight from their loving owners, saving around 70% on what they would set you back brand new.

Meanwhile, local families can clear out their clutter and make some cash at the same time by selling the baby goods they no longer need. Clothes and equipment must be in excellent condition, and most sellers make more than £60. Sellers keep up to 70% of the proceeds while the rest is returned to fund NCT’s vital services and support for parents.

Aaachoo! Most of us will have a cold this winter, but do you know how to treat it?

NHS Choices reveals some of the myths around treating a cold and offers advice on how to

get well quickly

According to NHS Choices, on average an adult can expect to catch a cold between two and four times a year, with more people suffering during the winter months. But do you know how best to treat a cold?

 

Myths about cures for the common cold:

·        Vitamin C – according to NHS Choices, one in three people believe that Vitamin C can help cure a cold. In fact, research has shown that Vitamin C doesn’t prevent or cure a cold.

·        Echinacea – many think that Echinacea can be used to prevent a cold or treat one, but research has shown that there is no proof of this being the case.

·        Over the counter medicines for colds – over the counter medicines do not cure a cold. The usual ingredients are painkillers and decongestants, which only help manage the symptoms.

FAMILY PORTRAITS BY HOTPOINT & STEVE McCURRY

Hotpoint’s European Family Portraits competition: family photos can be submitted until 15 October.

Family Portraits, the highly successful online photo competition promoted by Hotpoint in cooperation with renowned photographer Steve McCurry, is continuing until 15 October and is open to families in the UK, Italy, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.

“We are very excited about the success of the competition which has highlighted, through the number and quality of entrants, that family is the most important thing we have” says Marco Rota, Brand and Consumer Marketing Director Europe, Indesit Company. “The photographs entered to date provide a fascinating insight into the power and beauty of the family and reveal a cross-section of cultural differences that make us so unique”

Hotpoint’s website (http://family.hotpoint.eu) has received over 3,200 photos from families across Europe, and the accompanying Facebook page has just reached 22,000 fans. Users can get involved in two ways: either by participating in the competition, by submitting their best family snaps, or by browsing entries and voting for their favourite snapshots.

Press Release: Dads Get Anxious Too!

Helping Dads Cope with Immunisation Anxiety   

When taking children for their routine immunisations, it is often dads who have to be brave when mums find it all too stressful! But dads, particularly if they are one of the 10% of the population with a needle phobia, can be anxious about taking their children for routine child immunisations too.

Emla, from AstraZeneca, helps to reduce the pain of the needle by numbing the skin. A topical anaesthetic cream which is available over the counter from pharmacies, Emla is applied an hour in advance of the procedure and is the only numbing product approved for use on even the very smallest babies – from full-term birth.

Emla is available in an ‘all in one’ pack from your pharmacy, to help numb the pain of the needle during procedures such as childhood immunisations, minor skin procedures, blood tests and travel vaccinations. The pack includes two air-tight (‘occlusive’) plasters which need to be applied over the Emla cream, plus full instructions on the correct way to apply Emla. The handy pack is available from your local pharmacist for just £5.10.

NCT Launches Parenting Iphone App

Okay, so what do you do when you’re out for the day, your baby needs changing, is crying up a storm, and you don’t know where the nearest baby changing rooms are? That’s where the beauty of the NCT’s new iPhone app comes into life.

NCT, the UK ’s largest parenting charity, has just launched the first interactive charity iPhone application for parents, ‘NCT Babychange’. It’s free to download and allows you to locate the nearest baby changing facility in the area, view its star rating, and then rate it for other parents to use.

The app already has over 5000 baby changing sites listed including supermarkets, train stations, shops, restaurants, libraries and local authorities(1) with the capacity to add more. 

Press Release: New online antenatal classes offer alternative to dwindling NHS education

Midwives are under increasing pressure when it comes to delivering antenatal classes to help women understand what to expect in pregnancy, labour, birth and early parenthood.

Budget and time pressures are making it difficult to deliver good antenatal education to all parents-to-be. In some areas there is no longer any NHS provision of antenatal classes, leaving mums-to-be to find out for themselves or pay for expensive private antenatal classes (the NCT course costs around £150).

However, thanks to two midwives with a passion for good antenatal education, and a mum who knows the difference it makes to labour, women everywhere can now access quality antenatal classes delivered by qualified midwives at an affordable price.

Antenatal Online (www.antenatalonline.co.uk) has launched this month and features a variety of online videos which feature subjects including labour, birth, pain relief, relaxation, feeding and bathing. These can be watched over and over again and can be supplemented with one-to-one support from a midwife, the chance to chat online with other parents-to-be and a weekly midwife web chat.